The LeBron James Thread

[OSUFan_88]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

He put in his hard work for 7 years with Cleveland, just like Jordan did with the Bulls before Pippen grew up and he got Phil Jackson.

Except that instead of becoming a leader, LeBron decided to become a follower.

And I'd really like for you to argue that LeBron did not just become the A-Rod of Basketball.

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I don't see the difference here, whichever way you slice it Lebron is better then Stoudamire/Bosh/Wade as an individual. It was just choosing which players he wanted to help him. Why are we acting like Stoudamire is not a big helping piece here? He get's slammed for joining Wade and Bosh but he wouldn't get slammed if he joined up with a top 3 power forward in New York? Makes no sense, just sounds like sour grapes.

I'm taking Bosh/Wade to help me over Stoudamire in the end. Dwayne Wade is not a better player then Lebron IMO, so Lebron won't be playing second fiddle to anyone.

The point is that he had the opportunity to be the guy who led the revival of a team in a major basketball city, Knicks or to a lesser extent the Bulls( I say to a lesser extent because he wouldn't be reviving so much as elevating) or staying home and being The Man in Cleveland and he went off to a team that without him could have filled in and made noise. Cleveland, nothing without LeBron. Knicks, decent without LeBron. Bulls, good without LeBron. But the Heat with Wade and Bosh and some pieces could still have made noise in the Eastern conference. He took "the easy way out" and yes he'll still have to work for it, but the reason it's different is because whether you say he's playing second fiddle or not, you can't say that he's standing out, which is what stars are supposed to do.

[SoxFan01605]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

There is another Jordan.

His name is Kobe.

Completely disagree, but I would agree that Kobe is easily the closest there is. I don't think his competition has been as stiff though.

I just think the entire vibe of the league has changed since then. Jordan was chasing legends still playing in the league, took his lumps, then delivered a few of his own. Hard to do that in the current NBA...the league isn't as strong and the game/attitude isn't the same.

I suppose Lebron did have a chance to try to be that guy (disclaimer: I never thought he was or could be, character wise) but obviously that's not happening.

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

How is the Knicks keeping Galinari and Toney Douglas any different from Pat Riley Keeping Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley?

First, Pat Riley didn't keep Michael Beasley. And second, Chalmers is nothing more than someone that can defend point guards. Douglas at least appears to have the potential to be more than that, and Galinari is already an elite 3 point shooter and is a high basketball IQ guy. Sounds like pretty much the opposite of Michael Bustley, doesn't it?

[Altimus]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Except that instead of becoming a leader, LeBron decided to become a follower.

And I'd really like for you to argue that LeBron did not just become the A-Rod of Basketball.

First the Heat have to win and then he can be the "A-Rod" of basketball.

[jmood88]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I don't get why so many people who would never say that a player is better than Michael Jordan no matter what he does, are so obsessed with comparing current players to him.

[OSUFan_88]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

First the Heat have to win and then he can be the "A-Rod" of basketball.

Trust me, LeBron will win his rings.

That's the worst part of the Cleveland Curse. It doesn't end when the person leaves, it is when they are winning titles, rubbing it in our face.

[King_B_Mack]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

How is the Knicks keeping Galinari and Toney Douglas any different from Pat Riley Keeping Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley?

You kidding? Both teams get shut out of the big three race and the players left on their roster is Gallo and Douglas in NY and Chalmers and Beasley in MIA, who's got the better pieces to build around? Not to mention the fact that NY was able to lure Amar'e, who was going to go to the Heat with no Wade there?

[BaselineBakes]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I can't believe you're putting Stoudamire up there on Wade level. What MVP talk is Amar'e in every year? How often is Amar'e considered the best player in the league? Amar'e isn't even top ten in the league. It's not even close to the same thing.

Im putting Amar'e ahead of Bosh but behind Wade and all behind Lebron. Wouldn't of mattered where he went is my point, he still would've been killed for receiving help, why not go for the better help?

Didn't Chicago make room for three max deals? how would you have felt with this big 3 on your team?

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Im putting Amar'e ahead of Bosh but behind Wade and all behind Lebron. Wouldn't of mattered where he went is my point, he still would've been killed for receiving help, why not go for the better help?

Didn't Chicago make room for three max deals? how would you have felt with this big 3 on your team?

I'm pretty sure Chicago didn't even have enough for two max deals. I think they were just under.

[Kashanova]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Except that instead of becoming a leader, LeBron decided to become a follower.

And I'd really like for you to argue that LeBron did not just become the A-Rod of Basketball.

that's a compliment if you ask me, three time mvp and everyone knows if it weren't for alex the yanks don't make it to the WS nor win it

[King_B_Mack]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I don't get why so many people who would never say that a player is better than Michael Jordan no matter what he does, are so obsessed with comparing current players to him.

No one is obsessed with comparing players to Jordan except the media and there are certain fans but it's really no one in this thread. People are bringing it up because people have been trying to compare this dude to Jordan since he was in high school. The only reason it's brought up in here is people are saying we can finally stop hearing those dumb *** comparisons cause this the EXACT OPPOSITE of anything Jordan would do.

[BaselineBakes]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I'm pretty sure Chicago didn't even have enough for two max deals. I think they were just under.

Ok my mistake.

[J_Posse]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

I think everyone's perspective on this whole thing would be different if we didn't have the month-long charade, culminating in that disgrace of an one-hour special. LeBron had the right to move on, but why put Cleveland (and the state of Ohio) through misery on national television?

The disconnect between athletes and fans is growing wider by each passing season. I'm thankful for Tim Duncan, Paul Pierce, Dirk Nowtizki, Peyton Manning and others that show "loyalty" can exist in sports even today.

I understand how you guys feel even if it's on a much smaller scale. Duncan could've bolted on the Spurs and D. Rob, but stayed and they won three more titles after taking lumps against L.A. in '01 & '02. Willis McGhee trashed the city of Buffalo on his way out the door a few seasons ago, I've hated him ever since. Even cheered and applauded when he got injured during the post-season a couple years ago.

[King_B_Mack]

Re: LeBron James Signs With Miami Heat

Im putting Amar'e ahead of Bosh but behind Wade and all behind Lebron. Wouldn't of mattered where he went is my point, he still would've been killed for receiving help, why not go for the better help?

Didn't Chicago make room for three max deals? how would you have felt with this big 3 on your team?

Nobody was going to kill him for getting help, but there's a difference between good, competent role players helping the alpha dog and the alpha dog going to another alpha dog for help. That's like Sabertooth slapping around Wolverine and instead of beating him himself or getting some help from a few of the other X-Men he go gets the Hulk and Spider-Man.

And 1) The Bulls didn't have enough for two let alone three.

2) While I definitely would've been happy for the championship cause it is my team, I wasn't pulling for that crap to happen and I'd still feel weird about it cause it undermines the integrity of the game to have two of the top three players in the league on the same team as opposed to against each other when it isn't an organic happening.